Codify: Write and run software on the iPad

The iPad is just a device for consumption, right? And --
according to a screed by sci-fi author Cory Doctorow-- it
signals the end of computer programming, at least for the tinkerers
like you and me.

This is, of course, complete nonsense, as is made clear by Codify,
a new iPad app for writing software. Not
only does it let you code games, music
software or pretty much anything you like, it uses multitouch to
make the experience better than many desktop coding apps. The video
shows it best:

Codify uses the Lua programming
language. You tap out the code and then press play to run it.
Want to specify a color? Instead of looking it up the internet, you
just tap the code itself and a color-picker pops up, filling out
the numbers automatically. The same is true for game sprites and
other elements.

My programming skills go back to the days of the Commodore 64
and the Sinclair
ZX Spectrum, and have remained at that basic level ever since.
But now I'm tempted to play around again with this £5.49 app. It's
kind of like the Garage
Bandof coding.

And maybe now Doctorow can come in from the cold and trade up
from Android to a proper tablet.